KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A powerful storm system surged across Kansas, Missouri and parts of the Kansas City area late Tuesday, a rare outburst of violent weather in late February.

At least three deaths have been reported in the areas of Cassville and Buffalo in southwest Missouri. One death was reported when a possible tornado hit a mobile home park south of Buffalo, Mo., said Lt. Dana Eagan of the Dallas County Sheriff's Office. Another 13 people at the trailer park were injured, she said.

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The storm also knocked out power to all of Buffalo, Eagan said.

In Branson, there were at least a dozen injuries including people trapped in their homes, National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Griffin said. The apparent tornado moved through downtown Branson, heavily damaging the city's famous theaters, Griffin said.

Searchers there were going house to house early Wednesday, Taney County Sheriff Jimmie Russell.

The Hilton Convention Center in Branson was hit. Windows were blown out on multiple floors of the hotel.

A spokeswoman for Skaggs Regional Medical Center said 32 people had been treated since 2 a.m. One of those people, reported to be in critical condition, was transferred to a hospital in Springfield.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon signed a state of emergency order Wednesday morning. The governor's office said that shelters were set up for residents affected by the storm in Branson, Buffalo, Lebanon and Kimberling City, where 60 homes were damaged. Docks and boats brought to a resort in Kimberling City for a fishing tournament on Thursday were destroyed.

Harveyville, Kan., Heavily Damaged

The National Weather Service said an EF-2 tornado touched down just after 9 p.m. in the small town of Harveyville, Kan., in Wabaunsee County. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback declared a state of disaster emergency in the county

County officials said there has been heavy structural damage to homes and a church, estimating that 40 percent of the town was hit. Authorities said four people were taken to hospitals -- three were in critical condition. Several other people suffered less serious injuries. KMBC's Brenda Washington reported that eight people were treated and released.

Emergency crews went house-to-house to make sure everyone else was safe. They marked homes to make sure people don't search them twice. Late Tuesday, officials said that everyone had been accounted for.

The Kansas Department of Transportation said Kansas Highway 195 was closed through and on either side of Harveyville until further notice. Kansas Highway 31 was also closed for a half-mile on each side of the city.

Officials said residents will be allowed to check their property Wednesday, but that volunteers would not be allowed in at this time.

Kansas City Region Sees Sporadic Problems

In Daviess County, Mo., the National Weather Service said it had heard reports that two people were trapped in a mobile home that had been toppled. There were also reports of power lines down.

A tornado warning was also issued for Douglas County, Kan. It was canceled about five minutes before it was scheduled to expire at 10:30 p.m.

The storm picked up speed as it came northwest toward the Kansas City metropolitan area. At one point, the storm was moving at about 80 mph.

A building that was under construction near Northeast 107th Street and North Oak Trafficway collapsed in the wind. No injuries were reported.